Orion Canaday, a junior, looked beyond the sweet facade of Valentine’s Day. “Valentine’s Day is a day that is very heartfelt, but you have to think about what intentions lie outside of the ... aesthetics of it. It is very much about just going out and buying (stuff) ... Does it really help support your relationship with your loved one or does it help support the capitalists that own the chocolate?” said Canaday.
Junior Jin Jones doesn’t believe in the practice of asking out one’s crush on Valentines Day. “I think that it’s actually the worst time to ask your crush. What if you ask them and then they say no, and then you feel really bad on Valentine’s Day?” said Jones. “I think that you should build a relationship with them … (If) someone actually likes you it’ll be really obvious.”
Jamie Grace, a sophomore, believes that Valentine’s Day should be more focused on appreciating relationships than giving expensive gifts. “The expectations of gift giving for a significant other are way too high ... It should be more about celebrating that you have those people,” said Grace. Grace planned to celebrate Valentine’s Day by baking cookies with her valentine.
“I think that commercially it’s kind of bad, but I think that it’s a cute little holiday to do if you have someone you want to do it with,” said senior Ari Wetzel. Wetzel planned to celebrate Valentine’s Day with their girlfriend. “We’re gonna go and have a Cheeseboard date after school and I got her some flowers,” said Wetzel.
Seniors Theo Hollingshead and Malena Pierce enjoyed Valentine’s Day for the opportunity to appreciate their loved ones. “It’s a nice holiday to spend with your significant other and do something special,” said Hollingshead. “I think it’s a good holiday where people can show their love and support,” said Pierce. Hollingshead and Pierce planned to go to the Warriors game together to celebrate.
“I personally don’t really care about Valentine’s Day, although I am in a relationship. I think for the most part, you could celebrate it any other way, any other day,” said junior Miles Hill. “It’s like Mother’s Day. It’s something you could do any other day of the year,” said Hill. Because his girlfriend was out of town on Valentine’s Day, they celebrated early.